UK police arrest copycat phisher

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A 21-year-old has been arrested on suspicion on running a phishing scam from his home in Lancashire. The unnamed man allegedly tried to trick users into revealed their bank account details by setting up a fake website, promoted through spam emails.

Smile, the Internet banking arm of The Co-Operative Bank, reported the scam to the NHCTU last month. An investigation by officers from Britain’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and Lancashire Constabulary led to the arrest of a 21 year-old from Lytham St Anne’s in Lancashire, UK. The man has been arrested and bailed pending further investigation and examination of seized computers.

Police believe the man is a copycat, unconnected to the organised crime gangs behind the epidemic of such scams during recent months. Details of how he was tracked down have been witheld for operational reasons.

Detective Chief Superintendent Les Hynds, head of Britain’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, said: "The message is clear. Do not do this at home, we will find you. Anybody who thinks that they can copy the scam and get away with it is sorely mistaken."

Hynds said the NHTCU was working with its counterparts in Eastern Europe to track down the main culprits behind the scam.

"The trail to people running phishing scams leads in the same direction as to those running DDoS attacks against gambling sites," he told El Reg. ®